OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An Oklahoma City energy tycoon says the group that purchased the Seattle SuperSonics hopes to move the NBA franchise to Oklahoma City, but he acknowledges the team could make more money in the Pacific Northwest.

"But we didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here," Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy, told The Journal Record for a story in Monday's edition. "We know it's a little more difficult financially here in Oklahoma City, but we think it's great for the community and if we could break even, we'd be thrilled."

The Oklahoma City-based ownership group, headed by Clay Bennett, bought the SuperSonics last year and wants to have an agreement to build a new arena in Seattle by Oct. 31. If a deal is not in place to build the new facility by then, Bennett has said he plans to move the team to Oklahoma City.

"They've got 60 days to make some decisions they haven't been willing to make in the past year," McClendon said, "and if they make them in a way that satisfies Clay, then the team will stay there. If they don't meet the requirements he's laid out, the team will move, and Clay has indicated they'll come to Oklahoma City."

Bennett issued a statement Tuesday calling the comments McClendon's "personal thoughts" and said McClendon was "not speaking on behalf of the ownership group."

"It is my hope we will see a breakthrough in the next 60 days that will result in securing a new arena for the Sonics and Storm in the Greater Seattle area," Bennett said.

McClendon said he, Bennett and others in the ownership group became interested in purchasing an NBA team after the New Orleans Hornets temporarily relocated to Oklahoma City for two seasons after Hurricane Katrina.

"We started to look around, and at that time the Sonics were going through some ownership challenges in Seattle," McClendon told the newspaper. "So Clay, very artfully and skillfully, put himself in the middle of those discussions and to the great amazement and surprise to everyone in Seattle, some rednecks from Oklahoma, which we've been called, made off with the team."

McClendon backed away from his comments slightly Tuesday in a statement released jointly with Bennett, saying "it has always been my hope that Oklahoma City would have an NBA team someday" but the No. 1 goal was to keep the teams in Seattle.

"The comment about my personal hopes cannot in any way be interpreted to mean the organization has not exhaustively pursued every reasonable avenue to get an arena deal done and keep the Sonics and Storm in Seattle," McClendon said.

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August 15th, 2007, 9:41 am

wjb21ndtown

Eh... IDK... LoL... Admittedly I didn't read the article (not really that interested in the Sonics topic per se, just the general discussion), but I can see how an owner would be frustrated with being forced into operating in a crappy facility. I wouldn't mind Illitch doing the same thing with the Joe, but everyone knows he's not leaving MI. The Joe is a dump, bottom line...

August 15th, 2007, 2:14 pm

hotLionschick

National Champion

Joined: September 17th, 2005, 11:26 amPosts: 845Location: Michigan

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Eh... IDK... LoL... Admittedly I didn't read the article (not really that interested in the Sonics topic per se, just the general discussion), but I can see how an owner would be frustrated with being forced into operating in a crappy facility. I wouldn't mind Illitch doing the same thing with the Joe, but everyone knows he's not leaving MI. The Joe is a dump, bottom line...

Look at Ford he signed a bad deal with the Silverdome. Where he didnt get any concession, or Parking Money. There was nothing wrong with the Silverdome as a football viewing facility other then the fact it was the biggest stadium in the league. But Instead of Holding us fans and the state hostage the old man went out and built his own stadium. He did something right for once. Even if it was to line his own pockets.

August 16th, 2007, 6:58 pm

wjb21ndtown

hotLionschick wrote:

wjb21ndtown wrote:

Eh... IDK... LoL... Admittedly I didn't read the article (not really that interested in the Sonics topic per se, just the general discussion), but I can see how an owner would be frustrated with being forced into operating in a crappy facility. I wouldn't mind Illitch doing the same thing with the Joe, but everyone knows he's not leaving MI. The Joe is a dump, bottom line...

Look at Ford he signed a bad deal with the Silverdome. Where he didnt get any concession, or Parking Money. There was nothing wrong with the Silverdome as a football viewing facility other then the fact it was the biggest stadium in the league. But Instead of Holding us fans and the state hostage the old man went out and built his own stadium. He did something right for once. Even if it was to line his own pockets.

Wait wait wait... 1) All he did was fulfill his lease at the Silverdome and then he bailed. The Silverdome was built in the mid to late 70's, the Sonics stadium Keyarena, was built in 1962. You can't even compare the two.

2) Despite what you may think, there was definitely govt. assistance to bring Ford Field to D' town...